'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' has a theme of contrast between goodness and evil that runs throughout the story. Stevenson has used various ways in order to communicate this idea to his readers.
'Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde' has a theme of contrast between goodness and evil that runs throughout the story. Stevenson has used various ways in order to communicate this idea to his readers. The first case, although more subtle than many of the others, is in the names of the characters in the title; the word 'Dr.' has connotations attached to it which suggest that Jekyll is a well-mannered, civilized man whereas Mr. Hyde might not have the same nature, as is implied by ...'Hyde' could be as in 'animal hide'- something for him to cover himself away in. Already we can see the theme building up from this title. There are many images of darkness and light throughout the story. The effect of this is that it emphasizes the theme of goodness and evil and helps to construct Imagery- concentrates on jekylls home Hyde, his name 'hide' impression of deformity, murderous mixture of timidity and boldness Like some damned juggernaut, a very big lorry But why?? Colour imagery of red- danger, blood Mentions the baize on the door twice- danger is coming! In the main characters, Stevenson uses physical appearance as a tool for getting across the distinction of good and evil: for instance, Hyde's pale and dwarfish, with "something displeasing, something downright detestable" appearance More light 'as he lay tossed I the gross darkness...scroll of lighted pictures, 'great field of lamps
Compare and contrast the presentation and development of the gothic genre, over the past hundred or so years.
Compare and contrast the presentation and development of the gothic genre, over the past hundred or so years "If he be Mr Hyde ... I shall be Mr Seek." It is on this idea of searching or being obsessed with unknown or supernatural that Stevenson's novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde concentrates. Obsession with knowledge, or the unknown, is illustrated quite vividly in both nineteenth and twentieth century gothic literature. Another piece of gothic literature from the nineteenth century, Frankenstein, shows an obsession again on which the novel is centred, this is "to examine the causes of life." In the twentieth century story, The Company of Wolves, the obsession is totally opposite. It shows the passionate way in which the supernatural strives to carry out its desires, "Carnivore incarnate, only immaculate flesh appeases him." This just goes to show how the time in which a gothic story is written affects the story itself. The main points which build up the gothic genre, such as the setting, the atmosphere, religious and sexual imagery, obsessions, victims, the supernatural, death, decay, doubling and the classic fight between good and evil, are portrayed differently according to when and where the story or novel was written. Yet even novels written a hundred years apart can have similarities. It is on these two observations that I commence my essay. The setting of the novels is
Why would a Victorian reader find "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" shocking yet fascinating?
Why would a Victorian reader find "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" shocking yet fascinating? Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Jekyll and Hyde in 1886 in the middle of the Victorian era. This book is both shocking yet fascinating to a Victorian reader, I will explore this further. "Polar twins ... continually struggling," this quotation is talking about the struggle between Jekyll and Hyde; they are struggling to gain dominance over each other in Jekyll's body. They are polar twins, Jekyll is good and Hyde is Evil, this quotation shows that Jekyll and Hyde are linked, and this idea that they are linked in body and soul would be shocking to a reader yet it would also be fascinating because it shows the dual nature of man, the ability to do good and evil. There are many themes in Jekyll and Hyde that a Victorian reader would find shocking and fascinating at the same time, like Science vs. religion, civilisation vs. savagery, the dual identity of man, the way Stevenson portrays London, the gothic elements of the story, and the description of the characters and their relationships. Jekyll manipulates science to resurface the dual identity of man, only God should be able to do this, Jekyll is going against his god and dwells on the thought of committing suicide to get rid of Hyde, a Victorian reader would find this shocking because almost all Victorian people at this time
Victorian Villains in Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Victorian Villains in Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde This essay is looking at the nature of Victorian Villains. In doing this I shall consider extracts from three pre twentieth century novels; Great Expectations, Oliver Twist both written by Charles Dickens and Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R.L Stevenson. The Victorian Villains could be described as a stereotypical figure and this is what my essay will focus on, discussing the different aspects of atmosphere and setting, the appearance and behaviour of the male villains, their language and actions and finally there reactions of other characters to them. Firstly, I will discuss atmosphere and setting and note how all extracts share common traits/elements. In the Oliver Twist, extract the setting is firstly described as "obscure" which states that it is unclear in the pub. Charles Dickens then says that the pub is "situated in the filthiest part of Little Saffron Hill - a dark and gloomy den" there is irony in this sentence as a Saffron is very expensive. A "flaring" gas-light also burns all day in the wintertime, besides this no ray of the sunshines into the pub in the summer. The text above creates a startling atmosphere, inside the pub it would be dark unclear and the air would be strongly impregnated by the smell of alcohol. In the second extract, (Great Expectations) the atmosphere is rather
The Body Snatcher - R. L. Stevenson (1881).
The Body Snatcher - R. L. Stevenson (1881) The Body Snatcher is a classic horror by R. L. Stevenson, in the first paragraph, creates images of horror and how the story is based on real people called Burke and Hare, who were grave robbers in Edinburgh in 1829. The story was gripping for start to finish; it was based in an inn near London. The inn was called 'The George'. There were storytellers, and the inn only had old oil lamps. This gave the start of the story; a sense of horror, the lamps and the storytellers allows us to know that this was an old fashioned inn. This gave the opening scene a sense of horror and builds tension on what Fettes says: 'Have you seen it again?' This allows the reader to question what 'it' is. R. L. Stevenson writes the story so that the beginning is at the end of the story. He writes the story so that the storyteller tells he story like the narrator is a watcher over Fettes and Macfarlane and also a listener in the inn. Fettes was a student at a medical school of Anatomy in Edinburgh. Macfarlane was another student in the same medical school. When Fettes hears that Macfarlane is in the inn, Fettes jumps up in shook. 'Fettes became instantly sober: his eyes awoke.' The reader now knows the Fettes and Macfarlane have history between them. The twist to the story is that Fettes and Macfarlane are like Burke and Hare, they wanted bodies for their
How do you think that Stevenson wishes us to judge Dr Jekyll's experiments concerning Mr Hyde?
How do you think that Stevenson wishes us to judge Dr Jekyll's experiments concerning Mr Hyde? I think that Stevenson wants the reader to feel that Jekyll gets what he deserves for releasing Hyde. Although I think that this is his overall intention, he gives Jekyll's own justification for it, which dampens the blame from him slightly. However, the justification, when looked at more deeply, conveys another message from Stevenson, that Jekyll knows what he is doing and therefore commits a crime in releasing Hyde. Stevenson shows his feelings about Hyde and about Jekyll's guilt by lavishing Hyde with horrible descriptions. These fall into four main categories, the darkness, the evil, the animal, and peoples reaction to Hyde. Firstly, whenever Hyde appears, it is always 'night' or 'twilight' showing that there is something dark and mysterious about him. Hyde's eyes have a 'blackness' in them which terrifies people. There are several references to 'fire' and 'hell', suggesting that Hyde is a daemon, that has been released from hell. He is actually called, 'the child of hell' meaning he is pure evil. Also, the 'fire's can be interpreted as trying to ward off evil spirits, such as Hyde. Hyde's soul is described as 'foul', and his character 'callous' and 'violent'. He is described as having 'Satan's signature' upon him, as if he has been made by the devil and sent up from hell.
With close reference to the setting of 'Psycho' and 'Edward Scissor hands' discuss how the directors use elements of the Gothic tradition.
ENGLISH COURSEWORK SOPHIE HARTFIELD 0SJR ROSEBERY SCHOOL With close reference to the setting of 'Psycho' and 'Edward Scissor hands' discuss how the directors use elements of the Gothic tradition. The gothic tradition is rooted in many great works of fiction such as, 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Dracula'. It comprises many distinct features including Gothic architecture, lighting and the colour black. Setting is a very important aspect of the gothic tradition. In the two film texts studied 'Psycho' and 'Edward Scissor hands', the directors have used the gothic tradition to create interesting effects. To define the word gothic when being used in the form of a novel, one can say that it contains supernatural or horrifying events. Alfred Hitchcock the director of 'Psycho', uses many effective camera shots throughout the film to add depth and tension to the atmosphere of the scene that the viewer can easily relate to. For example when Marion the leading female role is traveling on the highway in her car towards the 'Bate's Motel', prior to her arrival the scene shows a very open and light space around her. There is lots of other traffic on the same stretch of road and gives a presence of safety in numbers to the viewer. As the sunset starts to emerge the lighting dims and Hitchcock uses a medium close-up shot of Marion in the car, the focal point being her face that is the only
How does Stevenson use symbolism through out the novella?
How does Stevenson use symbolism through out the novella? Symbolism is the use of symbols or certain phrases to represent ideas or events. Symbolism has been used in the past to get the reader thinking beyond the text and to deal with the controversial issues, or to comment on the negative aspects of the society, because subjects like, murder, violence, sex, etc...were not discussed openly at that period of time. Stevenson used symbolism in various ways. One of them is how Stevenson described London; the 2 different settlements, Soho and Cavendish square. Soho was described as sinister and gloomy, e.g., "...dingy neighbour hood..." and he also mentioned that immigrants lived there. These descriptions and the stark contrast between the 2 settlements, symbolize at least 2 meanings: * He might be symbolizing the 2 sides of a human being, and suggests that its just human nature. * Or that he (Stevenson) does not like immigrants, this is because Hyde lived there as well and he was dark and mysterious, so he symbolizes immigrants' danger through the character of Hyde. Stevenson also uses symbolism to build up a sense of the gothic atmosphere. In a gothic genre certain words which would be used, such as "...cloudless night..." "...Fog..." "...Bright full moon..." etc...to create a sense of horror and terror for the reader, and by creating such a tense atmosphere,
Robert Mighall describes 'The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde' as 'more than just a shilling shocker'
Robert Mighall describes 'The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde' as 'more than just a shilling shocker'. It explores in depth the hypocritical society of the Victorian era, and emphasises the darkness that lies behind the respectable façade. Darwin's theories, and other scientific breakthroughs meant that many religious beliefs were being eroded, which led to spiritual uncertainty. Blackmail and sexuality were a big part of many lives at the time, but were kept secret, as people were 'ordinary secret sinners'. Religion pervaded all aspects of Victorian society, and many Victorians were wary of scientific experiments. Change, rather than stability became the norm, and experiments it was feared, would have strange and dangerous outcomes. Stevenson played with this idea in the novel. The creation of Hyde not only makes the reader question the nature of man, but also the question of science against religion. If such scientific breakthroughs weren't being made, would the dark, sinister side of man ever emerge? The novel sees Jekyll returning to religion at the end; 'God knows, I am careless', showing perhaps that an can't exist without God. Hyde lacks a conscience, which Christianity teaches every human has. Jekyll detaches himself not only from Hyde, but Jekyll as well by talking in the third person; 'The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll'.
Romanesque Vs. Gothic
Romanesque Vs. Gothic Even during the times we live in, human culture have tied the roots of art and architecture to the classical themes of the Greeks. Jumping then to a medieval period the medieval followed similar patterns to the early gothic period. Anything culture saw as coming close to gothic was then automatically labeled to be considered to be Romanesque. Well I guess we can begin with architecture. The main differences with early middle age is their high increase in activity. The churches were more and larger and more roman looking than previous churches constructed. To give an example of one of the first Romanesque churches is the south western France church known as Toulouse, it was classified as a "pilgrimage type" its complexity show their integrity to accommodate a large crowd. Second we have the Speyer Cathedral it's a "German Romanesque Architecture. Its similar to St Pantaleon's. In Tuscany you have the Pisa Cathedral. It is one of the most famous architectures there , The leaning tower's poor foundation, history brings the fortune of the matter. The Pisa has a very classical Heritage if you compare it with the S. Apollinare in Ravenna its clear they are very similar in scale and shape. But of coarse there is the detached bell. Jumping to some embroidery on linen, Romanesque kept their past in writings by creating such events like "The Battle of